Australia expresses concern about the World Cup in Brazil.
According to the head of the Australian Football Federation, David Gallop, there is concern regarding the security of the World Cup in Brazil due to the protests that occurred in the country in June; "We have already hired local people to help us plan for this," he announced.
Nov 12 (Reuters) Australia is concerned about security at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil due to protests in the country, said the head of the Australian Football Federation, David Gallop, on Tuesday.
Millions of people took to the streets of Brazil in June in protests spread across various cities in the country, including the six host cities of the Confederations Cup, a test event for next year's World Cup.
Some smaller protests have continued since then, mainly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where the opening game and the final of the 2014 World Cup will take place, respectively.
Australian officials witnessed a glimpse of what could happen next year in September, when police used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters outside the Brasilia stadium before a friendly match against the Brazilian national team.
"There are certainly some concerns, and so we've already hired local people to help us plan for this," Gallop told the Australian Associated Press on Tuesday.
"We are already well advanced in our planning for the tournament. We will have local people in Brazil in addition to our own team that has been to World Cups before," he added.
"Certainly some challenges will arise, and we need to make sure things go well on our end."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney)